


Mending The Wounds

by M1stress



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Happy Ending, Overwatch - Freeform, Reader-Insert, Reader-Interactive, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-11
Updated: 2019-12-15
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:02:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21752698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/M1stress/pseuds/M1stress
Summary: Esther, just a civilian from the big city, saves Ashe from an attack, but Ashe got her left leg very injured, so Esther very reluctantly takes Ashe to her home, she takes care of Ashe until she can walk properly which is some good weeks, during these weeks Ashe starts to fall for her savior.Quick note: I'm using my character's name (Esther) because I really don't like using the Y/N thing, but feel free to imagine Esther however you like, this story is just like the Reader insert ones.
Relationships: Elizabeth Caledonia Ashe & Reader, Elizabeth Caledonia Ashe/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 21





	1. An Unplanned Rescue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there, I really hope you like this story, and please go easy on me, this is my first official story. Also, English is not my first language, so forgive me for any mistakes :D
> 
> I wanted to make this story mainly because almost all of Ashe's stories out there have a high amount of sexual content, not at all exploring Ashe's emotional side, and the fact that aside from Bob she hasn't had much love or care on her life, she was basically on her own since she was a child, and with that, I imagine that she has a huge need for human comfort, and this side of her is what I aim to explore here. She deserves some cuddles am I right?

Today was not a good day for Ashe, Christmas was just a few weeks away and it was rather cold outside. The gang was doing well, but Ashe excused herself for some days saying she didn't want to be bothered and drove to the unknown, truth is, she was feeling blue. She never had a happy Christmas, no gifts, no family attention, nothing, and this year would not be different, but she also didn't want the pity from the gang, so she left Bob in charge and took some time off. 

Today was a good day for Esther, she was going to the desert, it may sound weird but she was new to Los Angeles and she had never seen a desert before. So she left her little apartment and her cat and drove away. 

Esther was driving without a real destiny, she stopped at a very cool bar, took some pictures, ate a strange pie, and hopped on her car again. After a while of driving, she would have passed over a dead body if she wasn't paying attention to the road. Hold on, a dead body? 

Esther stopped abruptly, taking some seconds to organize her thoughts, she got out, and then she saw it, a dead guy on the road, he had taken two shots, one right in the chest, and he was holding what looked like a whip, only it was a chain with something sharp on the edges. Esther is not that sensitive to blood or death so what bothered her the most was how and why this happened. 

But she didn't have that much time to think because she heard a grunt and soon after the sound of something hitting the ground, she walked towards the sound, a little bit apprehensive, and to the right, outside the road near a rock, she saw a woman, and she looked like she was hurt, Esther ran to help her but when the woman heard her and lifted her head to look at whoever was coming, Esther came to a stop, because A) the woman had a gun with her and could possibly be the one who killed the man, and B) she knew that woman, or at least had heard of her, it was Ashe, she was the leader of a big gang, so she was most definitely the one who killed the man. 

Esther had heard of Ashe, stories mostly, how she was this fearless and ruthless person who would kill anyone that crossed her path.  
But the woman in front of her was nothing like it, at least not now, she looked down, not at all threatening, so very tired and in pain, well, of course, she was hurt, her left leg mostly, at least that's what Esther could see. And maybe the slight desperate plea look that Ashe was giving her was what made Esther move again, very slowly, towards Ashe. 

Esther crouched in front of Ashe "Hey um- are you okay? Can you walk?" she didn't know exactly what to say, or how to approach her. 

"No, I am not okay" Ashe hissed at her, but soon after bowed her head and said quietly "I don't know"

"Did you... Killed that man?" Esther said tentatively, giving Ashe a dubious look. 

"Not before he tried to kill me, almost succeed apparently" Ashe said, looking at her leg, it looked bad but not beyond repair, the wounds seemed superficial. 

Esther closed her eyes, rethinking again and again what she was about to do. And Ashe stared at the girl in front of her, thinking about asking for help because that girl didn't look like a threat at all, but then again, who in their right mind would help her? 

"Okay listen, I can't just walk away and leave you here to die, but I know who you are, so I'll get you home with me and patch that up, but if after you leave, you show up at my door trying to rob me or something, I'm - I'm gonna be really mad" Esther tried to sound confident but she was mostly nervous. 

Ashe narrowed her eyes to her "why not just call the police if you know who I am?"

"Because if I do, with your criminal record they'll probably just throw you in a cell and leave you to die there, and right now, you don't look like you could hurt a fly... Or maybe I'm just incredibly dumb" Esther mumbled that last part but Ashe heard anyway, which brought a slight grin to her face. 

"Um, okay hold on" Esther walked to her car and grabbed a cloth to wrap around Ashe's leg, when she returned Ashe had taken off her hat, Esther could see more of her face, she was definitely beautiful but she looked tired, and not just physically, mentally as well. Esther carefully wrapped the cloth around Ashe's leg, if she felt any pain, she didn't show it. 

"Alright, I'm gonna have to lift you up now" Esther moved her hand to Ashe's waist and tried to raise her, which caused Ashe to let out a quiet hiss of pain, "sorry" Esther said, kinda guilty. 

In time they managed to reach Esther's car, and she put Ashe in the passenger's seat. Once Ashe was sat down, she closed her eyes trying to relax, Esther took that chance to take a good look at her, Ashe was breathing a little too fast, her eyebrows were pinched together, and she looked like she was concentrating really hard to not show any signs of pain. Esther didn't know what took over her, but she put one of her hands on Ashe's forearm. 

"you're gonna be okay" this made Ashe look at her, and her pained expression seemed to ease, just a little, and that made Esther wonder if Ashe's wounds went beyond just physical. 

* * *

Ashe sat quietly while they drove to the city, Esther could barely hear her breathing, she would occasionally look out the window, but that was about it. Until she finally spoke "why are you doing this?" Ashe said it in a low tone, Esther barely heard. 

"Honestly? I don't know, sometimes I'm too good for my own good I guess, but as I said, I couldn't just leave you there to die, even though you're... You" Esther also didn't know exactly why, why was she taking this huge criminal, gang leader to her house, she must be crazy... But then again, the desperate look Ashe kept giving her, like she needed, wanted someone to help her so badly, but couldn't admit it yet, that's what made Esther help her in the first place. 

The rest of the ride home was quiet, Esther was kinda glad it was. 

When they arrived Esther made sure no one else was on the parking lot, then she grabbed Ashe, and they took the elevator to Esther's floor. 

Ashe was leaning almost all of her weight on Esther, she still looked tired, Esther wasn't a doctor but she knew the basics about tending wounds, she hoped that was enough, and that she still had her first aid kit. 

The ding of the elevator brought Esther back to reality, she took a deep breath and walked to her door. 

"Okay, I have to open the door, can you hold yourself for a second so I can use one of my hands?" Ashe just nodded to that, Esther carefully let go of the arm that was above her shoulders and proceeded to open the door. 

Once inside Ashe took a good look at the apartment, it wasn't huge, but it looked cozy. Right at the entrance was the living room, with a couch that looked very comfy and a TV, beside the living room, separated by a half wall was the kitchen with a small table on the middle, to the left seemed to be the bathroom and a hallway that Ashe assumed to lead to the bedroom. Then she heard a little meow, she looked down and saw a cat rubbing itself in her legs. 

"Oh hey girl, that's Mimi, my cat" Esther was smiling at the cat like it was the most precious thing in the world, Ashe felt a bit jealous but quickly averted her gaze, what was she doing? This was just a random girl who was stupid enough to bring Ashe to her home and help her, once she could run properly that was it, right? 

"Alright, let's put you on the couch, it's more comfortable" they walked to the couch and Esther lowered Ashe there carefully, Ashe sat with a thud and a little grunt of pain. She proceeded to take off her vest and undoing her tie, it certainly was a relief.

Esther quickly walked to lock the front door and grab the first aid kit, then she sat cross-legged on the ground in front of Ashe.

"Ready for me to take care of this leg?" Esther asked giving Ashe a sympathetic smile. 

"Ready as I'll ever be, sugar" 

Esther was fumbling with the first aid kit, trying to find something to clean up the wound. Ashe was looking at her, wondering again why this girl was helping her, it was a strange sensation to Ashe, to have someone else take care of her, she felt her eyes start to water a little but quickly blinked it out, before saying quietly "I still don't know your name"

Esther's head shot up "oh, sorry, it's Esther, Esther Makenzye" she said with a smile. 

Ashe smiled a little too, she liked that name.


	2. Tenderness

Esther found a cloth that she soaked with water and a bit of medicine to clean the wound.

"This is probably going to hurt a little, but I have to clean the wound" Esther said before placing the cloth on the wound carefully, Ashe made a pained expression and gripped the couch with her hands, trying to ground herself. She took deep breaths trying to concentrate in anything but the pain, she then caught herself looking at Esther's face, concentrating on her, memorizing her features so she could remember her once she was out of the apartment, she probably would never see Esther again, Ashe's pained expression soon became one more sad. 

"There, it's over, now I'll just do the right bandage" Esther smiled to her, but when she looked up at Ashe her smile soon dropped, Ashe seemed... Sad, still pained, but sadder. When she noticed Esther looking at her, her expression soon changed, her neutral mask settling back in, like it had never changed. 

"Good, thanks" Ashe said in a monotone tone, but Esther didn't look very convinced. 

She bandaged Ashe's leg pretty good, she probably would be running around in a few days if she rested a little.

"your leg is done, I did it pretty firmly so it won't come out if you want to take a shower, you know, to feel a little better" 

Ashe could really use a shower she was bloody and dusty, she hummed at that, a shower would be another good relief. 

"Heh, yeah, um- do you have any other injuries?" Esther could only see a small cut on Ashe's face, but there could be more. 

"I think my back has a few scratches" and with that Ashe proceeded to take off her shirt, leaving only her bra on, and oh God, Esther quickly looked away, a bright red blush coming across her cheeks. 

"It's okay sugar, you can look" Ashe said with a proud smile on her face. 

So Esther took a deep breath and sat on the couch beside Ashe, leaving a small gap between them. Sure enough, there were some scratches on her back, Esther presumed Ashe had fallen during the fight at some point. 

"These scratches are not big, I'll clean them up a bit and apply some medicine, okay?" Ashe hummed at that, she had her back to Esther, so she leaned her right side against the couch just because she was feeling lazy. 

Esther took a new cloth, soaked it with water and medicine, and began to clean the wounds carefully. When Ashe felt Esther's touch, a chill ran down her spine, her touch was so tender, so loving, Ashe even closed her eyes for a bit, she couldn't remember the last time someone touched her with such care. 

Too soon Esther was done, deep down Ashe was already wanting her touch again, but she shrugged the thought away. 

"Can you turn? I saw a small cut on your cheek" Esther said, oh so softly that Ashe turned right away. All this tenderness, she was not used to it, living with a gang, always on the run or in a fight, mostly with no one but herself to take care of her when needed, there was hardly any place for tenderness. Ashe didn't think she missed it so bad, missed something she barely had, until now. 

She locked eyes with Esther, who soon went to clean the cut on her cheek. Ashe froze and her breath hitched a little when Esther touched her, one of her hands on Ashe's left cheek to clean the cut and one in the other cheek to hold Ashe in place. Esther had soft hands, the softest she had ever felt, and she wanted her hands to remain there, forever. 

"You... Can open your eyes now" Ashe didn't realize she had closed them in the first place, she quickly cleared her throat and averted her gaze, not seeing the slight blush Esther had on her cheeks.

Esther got up from the couch, and grabbed the first aid kit, putting it in its place. When she returned she had a pile of clothes in her hands "if you want to take a shower to feel better, you can put these clothes on" 

"I will, thank you" Ashe slowly got up, putting most of her weight on her right leg, she was limping a lot, barely walking. Esther offered to help but Ashe said she could manage. So Ashe grabbed the clothes from Esther with a small smile of thanks, and went to the bathroom, once inside, Ashe examined the clothes, it was a black sweater with gray stripes on it, and black sweatpants, they seemed so comfortable, everything about Esther seemed comfortable. Ashe was worried, she couldn't let herself be soft for this girl, because it would hurt all the more when the time came for her to leave, and Ashe already had had enough pain in her life as it is. 

Ashe took a shower, and indeed she felt a lot better, lighter and cleaner, it was a relief to take off those clothes and put the comfy ones on. 

Esther was in the kitchen leaning on the counter with her cat in her arms when Ashe got out, she was making some tea, she didn't know if Ashe would like it, but Esther loved tea. She looked up when she heard the bathroom door open, Ashe got out, and she looked so different, her hair was wet and all over the place, she had taken off her makeup and honestly, she looked smaller and less intimidating, also she was adorable in those clothes, this brought a smile to Esther's face. 

"What'cha smiling about, girl?" Ashe asked, coming towards Esther, or at least trying to, she was still limping a lot, but she managed to get there and sit in one of the chairs in the table. 

"Nothing, you look a little better" Esther shrugged "tea?"

Ashe accepted the tea, she drank it slowly, it soothed her. Her leg was still hurting, but it was less than before. 

"I see that you still can barely walk" Esther was staring at her own cup of tea, her mug had a little cat on it "I don't mind if you stay until your leg gets better. Sometimes it gets lonely here, but I don't have a spare bed, so if you're okay with sleeping on the couch..." It was kinda weird, Esther would never imagine that she would be inviting a gang leader to stay at her house, but Ashe seemed nice, she didn't seem to be this bad guy everyone talked about. 

"Hm, I guess there's no problem if I stay, for now" Ashe talked in a very neutral tone, with just a tint of humor.

"And I don't mind about the couch" Ashe felt unsure about staying, not because of the gang, as she said, they were fine for now, but because of what she might feel when she has to leave. But regardless, her leg was still a problem. 

"Good, all set then, are you hungry? I have some leftovers" Esther was cheery, maybe too much, Ashe thought that maybe she had no sense of danger, or maybe she could feel that Ashe wouldn't hurt her. Anyway, it was a nice change compared to any other reception she ever had, Ashe gave her a little smirk. 

And so Esther proceeded to cook their dinner, all the while rambling about how she was new to the city and was loving everything even though she missed her family, Ashe learned that she worked at a pet shop, but was in vacation because it was the end of the year and she had some extra weeks of vacation to take. She also learned that Esther loved Christmas, and just now noticed how the apartment was decorated, little Santas were all over the place, and beside the TV stood a huge Christmas tree full of decorations and blinking lights. Ashe would occasionally talk too, about her friends back at the gang, about Bob and about how was life as a gang leader. And even after all that, Esther didn't look intimidated, this girl was definitely weird.

* * *

In time they ate their dinner, and after that Esther went to take a shower. 

In the meantime, Ashe took a tour around the apartment, she stopped at the Christmas tree, it has been a while since she saw one. She gingerly touched one of the little Snowmen in it with the tip of her finger. After that she took slow steps towards Esther's bedroom, she didn't know if she could get in there, but she was curious. Her bedroom was cozy, it had a big double bed in the middle, a closet on the right side, a shelf with books on the other, a desk with a computer and a huge window on the left side, above the bed there was a lot of pictures of Esther and her cat, and people that Ashe presumed were her family. After her tour Ashe sat at the comfy couch again, she was still tired, then a little furball jumped on the couch and started purring for Ashe to pet her, she actually liked cats, they were beautiful and independent, just like her. 

Esther got out of the bathroom wearing a big white shirt with a wolf on it and red sweatpants, she was combing her hair and yawning.

"Are you tired? 'Cause I am" Esther said in the middle of her yawn. 

Ashe let you a quiet laugh "yeah, I am too" 

"I'll grab some blankets and a pillow for you" Esther headed to her room and came back with the pillow and the blankets. Ashe thought that she looked cute with her hair down, but of course, she wouldn’t admit it. 

Esther placed the pillow and the blankets on the couch and took a good look to see if it was comfortable enough "okay, I hope you can sleep well, you can call me if you need anything, so um- goodnight" Esther said with a timid smile and an awkward wave of her hand. 

"Don't worry sugar, goodnight" Ashe answered, with a smile of her own, she watched Esther until she reached her room and closed the door. Ashe turned off the lights, with only the moonlight peering through the window, she laid down on the couch. It was no fancy bed but it was comfortable enough. What a day today was, Ashe took a deep breath and turned to the side, drifting into a much-needed slumber. 


	3. Pondering feelings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi ♥, this chapter is a little smaller due to lack of time, but it ends in an interesting way.

Esther woke up to something hitting her face, at first she thought it was nothing and turned to the side, wanting to sleep a bit more. But then, the thing hit her again, and she finally opened her eyes to see what it was, as expected her cat was sitting almost on her face, with her tail occasionally hitting Esther's nose. 

"Yeah alright, I get it, you're hungry" Esther said grumpily, she was definitely not a morning person, but this is what living with a cat is like. She was glad for one side though, waking up a little early makes the day bigger after all. She looked at the clock and it read 8:47 in the morning. 

So she got up, opened her curtains and was greeted with blinding sunlight right on her face, well, at least the day was beautiful and it was kinda cold outside. As usual, her hair was a mess, so she took her time putting it back in its place, and headed to the kitchen, followed by a lot of meows. 

Like every morning Esther headed to the counter to grab the food for her cat. But, like every morning Esther would only be fully awake in about an hour. So as she was heading to the counter, she didn't even notice the chair that was in her way, and in her half-asleep state she hit her toe on it. 

"OW fUcK, stupid chair" now she was basically fully awake at least. 

Ashe woke up to someone cursing at something, rather loudly. She made an annoyed sound and hid her face under the covers, she was too sleepy to realize how childish she looked. 

Esther realized her mistake as soon as she heard the little whimper coming from the couch. 

"Sorry Ashe" Esther mumbled, more to herself than to Ashe. She continued on her way to the counter, rubbing her eyes. Mimi got up on the counter that her food was in and started purring. 

"Food's on the way baby" Esther grabbed the food and Mimi's bowl, setting it below the window, the cat started to eat happily, soon enough she would be sleeping somewhere in the house. 

Esther put the bag of food back in its place, and just stood in the middle of the kitchen for some seconds, messing with her own hands. What to do now? Do I wake Ashe up to eat breakfast? Or let her sleep? She seemed tired yesterday, but she also must be hungry. 

Esther took tentative steps towards the couch, standing a good distance away she tried to peek to see if Ashe was really asleep. Her eyes were closed, she looked peaceful, innocent, small even. Esther couldn't help a little smile that took its place on her face, Ashe looked so cute, what would she think if Esther told her that, would she be mad? 

Esther soon realized that Ashe made her nervous, timid, she didn't know exactly why. She slowly extended her hand to touch Ashe's shoulder, she had no problems touching Ashe yesterday, why she was so hesitant today? 

"Um- Ashe?" She whispered "Do you want to wake up? Breakfast maybe?" Esther sounded really unsure, but her hand remained on Ashe's shoulder. 

"I... Am awake" Replied a groggy and very sleepy voice. "You did a pretty good job at waking me screaming to your chair" 

Esther made an apologetic face, even though Ashe couldn't see it.   
"I'm sorry Ashe, I didn't mean to... But, I.. I'll make breakfast, do you like pancakes?" Now she had a hopeful smile on her face, but she soon realized that her hand was still on Ashe's shoulder, she quickly removed it, causing Ashe to open her eyes and look at her. Those beautiful red eyes that Esther could get lost in... Wait what? 

"Yes, I do like pancakes" Ashe tried to give Esther a smirk, but her face was still sleepy, so, cuteness again. Esther shook her head a little and gave Ashe an awkward nod. She walked to the kitchen a little too fast. 

Esther started to make breakfast, meanwhile, Ashe proceeded to get up. She sat on the couch and stretched, her back hurt a little because of the couch, but she was fine, until she got up. Ashe forgot about her bruised leg and got up on full force in both legs, receiving a shot of pain soon after, she let out a small 'Ow' of pain and fell back on the couch with a thud.

Esther came running from the kitchen, spoon in her hand and all. 

"What happened? You okay?" She looked Ashe up and down. 

"M'fine, just forgot about the damn leg" Ashe got up again, more carefully this time, wincing a little as she took small steps towards the bathroom, Esther's eyes were following her all the way until she closed the door. 

* * *

Esther didn't consider herself the best cook ever, but she also wasn't bad. So she really hoped Ashe liked what she made, they were sitting in front of one another, eating their breakfast in silence. Every once in awhile Esther would lift her head up to look at Ashe, quickly looking down soon after.

"I do like the food, if you're wondering" Ashe said, looking up at her with a goofy smile, earning a little timid smile from Esther too. 

"I'm glad" Ashe kept her eyes on Esther for a little longer, then continued to eat her food in silence. 

After they finished their breakfast Esther was at another loss of what to do. "Do you want to watch a movie?" It was the first thing that came to her head, probably not the best though. 

"I wouldn't mind that" Ashe shrugged, she was making her way to the couch slowly, limping a bit. Esther must have noticed because in the next second she was beside Ashe, grabbing her arm to give her some support. They looked at each other for some good three seconds until Ashe cleared her throat and started walking again, bowing her head to hide the slight blush that was creeping to her cheeks. 

The best movie they found was Tangled, Esther adored that movie and Ashe had never seen it. They were sitting at least thirty centimeters away from each other, Esther hugging her knees and Ashe was still trying to find a good position that wouldn't bother her leg. They were still comfortable in their pajamas from last night, a typical lazy day at home, Ashe felt nice, she felt like this inconvenient encounter with Esther was a vacation, from everything. 

And between they getting up for a cup of water or going to the bathroom, and of course Esther saying every five minutes that the next scene was amazing or her favorite, by the middle of the movie they were sitting side by side, thighs touching and all, and neither of them seemed to mind the proximity, Esther thought that maybe Ashe even enjoyed being beside her. 

In fact, Ashe did enjoy the proximity, she would occasionally steal some quick glances at Esther, seeing her happy face talking about the movie. One part of Ashe was telling her to run, that this feeling that was starting to appear would only end up hurting her, but the other part was telling her to pull Esther closer, to fill the void that was in her heart for so long now. 

A knock on the door interrupted Ashe's thoughts, Esther looked at her and got up to answer the door, she didn't seem to be expecting anyone. 

When Esther opened the door there was a man there, taller than Esther, dark hair, brownish skin, and a seductive look on his eyes that Ashe didn't find amusing at all, she was already contemplating grabbing her gun when... 

"Hey baby, how are you doing?"

**Author's Note:**

> I would appreciate any feedback and if you have any ideas for how this fic should proceed, please let me know.
> 
> And I'll try to keep the updates regular. ♥


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